AHASUERUS, THE WANDERING JEW.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3227, 2 November 1881, Page 4

AHASUERUS, THE WANDERING JEW.

Paulus yon Eizen, doctor, and Bishop of Schleswig, related to me some years ago that at the time he was studying at Wifcten-bu-g, while on a visit to his parents at Hamburg, in 1547, he had seen in church, placed near the chancel, a very tall man, with hair falling on his shoulders, barefooted, who listened to the sermon with great attention, and whenevor the name of Jesus was mentioned bowed humbly, smote his breast, and sighed. His only clothing ■was a pair of trousers, ragged at the ends, and a coat tied with a cord, which fell to his feet. He appeared to be fifty years of age. There seem to have been many of the nobility and gentry who have seen this man in England, France, Italy, Hungary, Persia. Spain, Holland, Moscow, : eiffland, Sweden, Denmark, and fco' land, and in other regions. Everyoue has marvelled much at him. And the afore-named doctor, having made inquiries as to where he -could converse with this man, and having found him, asked him whence be came, and how long he had been there during that winter. On this the man very humbly told him that he was by birth a Jew of Jerusalem, named Ahasuerus, his occupation that of a shoemaker, that he had been present at the crucifixion of Christ, Bince which time he had been alive, and that he bad travelled through many countries and cities; and to prove' that he was telling truth, he had knowledge of various events that had occurred since that time, as well as of all the events which had happened to Christ, when He was brought before Pilate and Herod and finally crucified. He told even moro thnn we know through the evangelists and historians, nnd he narrated the many changes of government, especially in F astern countries, which had occurred at one time or another during those many centuries. Then he related most minutek the life, sufferings, and death of the holy apostles. And now, when Dr. Paulus, nf Eizen, with great interest and astonishmen'. had heard these things, in order to obtain move Irnnw'pdsrp he asked him tr> lelate exactly all that happened. Thereupon this man answered that at the time of the crucifixion he resided in Jerusalem, and like others be regarded Christ aa a heretic ; he had not thought of Him otherwise than as a misleader of the people, and that, with others he had endeavored to get one who in Lis eyes was a rebel out of the world. Soon after the sentence had been pronounced by Pnate, they led Jesus past his house. Knowing that He would be led that way, he ( A hasuerus) had gone home and told all in his house that they might see Jesus pass by, and would know what kind of man He was. Just as Jesus was passing, he took a child in his arms and stood before his own door. Christ, bearing a very heavy cross on His shoulders, stopped a little before tho shoemaker's door, and leaned against the wall. Then the 'shoemaker, full of sudden anger, and also desirous of public applause, told Christ to move on whither He was ordered. Upon this, Christ looked sternly upon him and said, " I will stand here and rest, but thou shalt move until the last day !" Upon this he put the child down quickly on the floor, and could stay there no longor. He followed Jesus, saw Him miserably crucified, tortured, and slain. After all ha-d been fulfilled, it was impossible for him to enter Jerusalem. He never saw his wife and «hild figain, but as a sad pilgrim has wandered through foreign countries one after anotiVr. When after many he returned once more to Jerusalem, he found everything sacked and destroyed-, so that he could re - cognise nothing ; not one stone was left upon another, nor any trace of the former magnificence visible. What God now intended to do with him in leaving him in this miserable j life, wandering about in such wretchedness, he could not explain otherwise than that God wished him to remain until the Day of Judgment a 9 a living sign against the Jews, by which the unbelieving and the godless might be reminded of Christ's death and be turned to repentance. For his part, he' would be very happy if God would take him to heaven out of this vale of- tears. —The Wandering Jew, by Moncure Daniel Conway.